Fair Campaign Practices and Required Reporting
Longmont Fair Campaign Practices Act (LFCPA)
For all questions regarding campaign finance and reporting, please call the City Clerk’s Office at (303) 651-8649.
City Council candidates may accept contributions to assist them in conducting their campaigns and are limited to the following contribution amounts per election cycle:
- $310 from any person *(Updated 4/1/2025 – contribution limits are adjusted each election based on the Denver-Aurora-Lakewood CPI)
All committees are required to report the name and street address for every contribution received over $50.
Reports are due from all committees active in the 2025 election on the following dates:
- Sept. 5, 2025 (activity through Sept. 3, 2025)
- Oct. 5, 2025 (activity through Oct. 3, 2025)
- Oct. 14, 2025 (activity through Oct. 12, 2025)
- Oct. 21, 2025 (activity through Oct. 19, 2025)
- Oct. 29, 2025 (activity through Oct. 27, 2025)
- Dec. 4, 2025 (activity through Dec. 2, 2025)
The LFCPA prescribes periodic reporting timeframes in LMC 2.04.207.
- Candidates and Candidate Committees forming more than 60 days before the election must file a report on the first day of each month after filing the Candidate Affidavit and continue until they become a certified candidate.
- All candidate committees, political committees, and issue committees shall file reports with the city clerk on the sixtieth day, thirtieth day, twenty-first day, fourteenth day, and on the Wednesday before and 30 days after the election in election years.
- Political Committees forming more than 60 days before the election must file on the first of each month until the election cycle reporting begins on the 60th day before the election.
- Issue Committees are not required to report contributions received and expenditures made prior to reaching the $5,000.00 threshold. Contributions received and expenditures made after reaching the $5,000.00 threshold shall be reported in accordance with this Act.
- Reports of any Independent Expenditures are due at the next closest reporting period to the expenditure.
*NEW* View the Campaign Finance Reporting Dashboard
This new software is being tested for the first time by the City Clerk’s Office to provide more transparency in local elections and how they are financed. All data has been entered by City Clerk Staff and not by candidates while the tool is being tested. It is anticipated that the tool will be used by all future committees in lieu of the Excel spreadsheets currently implemented.
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- Independent Expenditures are defined in L.M.C. §2.04.203 as: “…any expenditure made for the purpose of expressly advocating the election or defeat of a candidate, or expressly advocating the passage or defeat of a ballot measure, that is not made with the cooperation or with the prior consent of, or in consultation with, or in coordination with, or at the request or suggestion of, a candidate, candidate’s agent, candidate’s committee, or issue committee.” (Note: if an independent expenditure is made for/against a declared candidate or ballot measure, a report is due at the same intervals as candidate reports are due. For clarification, see L.M.C. §2.04.206 – Independent expenditure disclosure.)
- Reports of any Independent Expenditures are due at the next closest reporting period to the expenditure.
All candidate filings, including required reports of contributions and expenditures, can be viewed in the City’s Public Records Portal.
Candidacy Forms
- Candidate Affidavit (within 10 days of publicly announcing their candidacy)\
- Nomination Petitions
Search easily for these in the Public Records Portal in one of two ways:
- Search for all forms of a particular type to see all candidate filings:
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- Select ‘Keyword Search‘ and then use the drop down menu to select ‘Elections Campaigns‘.
- Use the Election Document Type drop down menu and select a type of document from the drop down menu such as ‘Candidate Affidavit’.
- Sort by the Election Date to see all documents of that type relevant for this election.
- Search for a particular candidate and all forms they have filed:
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- Select ‘Keyword Search‘ and then use the drop down menu to select ‘Elections Campaigns‘.
- Type their name in the name field with * before and after (ex: *Rodriguez*).
- Sort by the Election Date to see all documents of that type relevant for this election.
Contribution & Expenditure Reports
How to search for Candidate, Issue & Political Committee Records and Reports in the Public Records Portal:
- Select ‘Keyword Search‘ and then use the drop down menu to select ‘Elections Campaigns‘.
- SEARCH BY DOCUMENT TYPE – Use the Election Document Type drop down menu and select the specific report from the drop down menu such as ‘Contributions and Expenditures – Period 1’.
- Sort by the Election Date to see all documents of that type relevant for this election.
- SEARCH BY NAME – To search for a particular candidate type their last name in the ‘Name‘ field with an * before and after the name (ex: *rodriguez*)
Pre-Certification Contribution & Expenditure Reports
- Search for Pre-Certification Reports in the Public Records Portal:
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- Select ‘Keyword Search‘ and then use the drop down menu to select ‘Elections Campaigns‘.
- Use the Election Document Type drop down menu and select a type of document from the drop down menu such as ‘Contributions and Expenditures – Pre-Certification’.
- Sort by the Election Date to see all documents of that type relevant for this election.
- It may be helpful to also search by candidate name to see only those Pre-Certification reports filed by a particular candidate by also adding their last name in the ‘Name‘ field with an * before and after the name (ex: *rodriguez*)
